Question

Identify the principal clause in the following sentence.
Zyan, who is a postman, is my childhood friend.
A. Zyan is my childhood friend
B. Who is a postman
C. A postman is my childhood friend
D. Zyan who is a postman

Answer 1

Hint – Principal clause is the main part of a sentence and makes complete sense. It does not depend on any other clause. It is the main idea of the sentence.

Complete answer:
A principal clause contains a subject, an infinite verb and an object. In the above options, option a is the correct answer as it makes complete sense on its own without the rest of the sentence. It can exist independently. It contains a finite verb (is), subject (Zyan) and object (childhood friend). It is grammatically correct. This clause does not need the other clause (subordinate clause) i.e. ‘who is a postman’ in order to make sense. Option b is incorrect as it is the subordinate clause, it contains subordinate conjunction ‘who’ and is dependent on the main clause or the principal clause for it to make sense. It is not grammatically correct or does not make sense on its own. Option c is incorrect as it contains parts from both, the main clause as well as the subordinate clause. Option d is incorrect as the structure is incomplete, it does not make sense on its own which defies the rule of principal clause, i.e. it can exist independently and is grammatically correct. Hence b, c, d, are all ruled out.

Note - The principle and subordinate clause differ by the fact that the subordinate clause depends on the principle for its existence.